GTV V6 - vs Club spec ? ? ?

[arthur t]

i am really intrested in getting a GTV and have been looking for one in the normal places (ebay,P-head,autotrader), What I would like to know is what you get for the extra 2000 pounds between the standard V6 and the CUP ?

i want to take the car on some track days so, would it be better if i bought the standard V6 and did the standard upgrades - exhaust,brakes...etc or does the Cup have these as standard?

I would like to get some advice before i jump into the Alfa hot seat!

Thanks

Arthur

[jamieboy]

The Cup is mechanically identical to every other V6 GTV.

The differences with the Cup are that the wheels have a sort of wet-look or satin finish, you get half-leather seats instead of full leather in a normal GTV, and obviously the bodykit.

I dislike the bodykit, I think it nearly manages to ruin a great looking car so to me there's no way at all that the Cup justifies the extra money. But people charge extra for them and other people happily pay it, so I'm obviously in the minority.

If you're buying it as a keeper, the Cup will likely hold its value better. If you're just buying it to drive and enjoy, and particularly if you're planning to modify it then a normal GTV has to be a better bet.

Edited by jamieboy on Saturday 23 May 11:20

[xyyman]

jamieboy said:

The Cup is mechanically identical to every other V6 GTV.

The differences with the Cup are that the wheels have a sort of wet-look or satin finish, you get half-leather seats instead of full leather in a normal GTV, and obviously the bodykit.

I dislike the bodykit, I think it nearly manages to ruin a great looking car so to me there's no way at all that the Cup justifies the extra money. But people charge extra for them and other people happily pay it, so I'm obviously in the minority.

If you're buying it as a keeper, the Cup will likely hold its value better. If you're just buying it to drive and enjoy, and particularly if you're planning to modify it then a normal GTV has to be a better bet.

Edited by jamieboy on Saturday 23 May 11:20

You are not alone. Cup seems to be cosmetic only. You can buy the rear spoiler (Aero kit option anyway) and the stick on front wing fake vents if you really want to.

[Robertf]

I don't think much of the cup and never understood why anyone would pay any more for a bodykit and half leather, when the standard car is as beautiful as a GTV can be.

[Pooh]

Get a standard one and spend some money on poly bushing the rear suspension and fitting some Bilstien sport shocks, I did this to mine and it totally transformed the handling without ruining the ride, in fact I preferred the ride as it was much less bouncy.
I also fitted a Raggazon silenced centre section and straight through rear exhaust which sounded superb without being too loud and saves a fair bit of weight.

[Pat H]

Pooh said:

I also fitted a Raggazon silenced centre section and straight through rear exhaust which sounded superb without being too loud and saves a fair bit of weight.

I have an unsilenced stainless Raggazon centre pipe, with a stainless Supersprint back box on my GTV.

It sounds fantastic, but is probably a touch too noisy for most people.

I couldn't believe how many silencers there were on the standard exhaust, it must weigh half a ton.

The Raggazon centre and Supersprint back box are a much more elegent solution than the standard Alfa offering.

Here they are for comparison.

[Dan S]

Pooh said:

Get a standard one and spend some money on poly bushing the rear suspension and fitting some Bilstien sport shocks, I did this to mine and it totally transformed the handling without ruining the ride, in fact I preferred the ride as it was much less bouncy.
I also fitted a Raggazon silenced centre section and straight through rear exhaust which sounded superb without being too loud and saves a fair bit of weight.

Hi mate, be interested to hear your thoughts on the suspension and advice. I need to make pull out the oversteer and get it a little more neutral. Any tips? Where can I get the Raggazon, any internet suppliers?

[Pooh]

Dan S said:

Pooh said:

Get a standard one and spend some money on poly bushing the rear suspension and fitting some Bilstien sport shocks, I did this to mine and it totally transformed the handling without ruining the ride, in fact I preferred the ride as it was much less bouncy.
I also fitted a Raggazon silenced centre section and straight through rear exhaust which sounded superb without being too loud and saves a fair bit of weight.

Hi mate, be interested to hear your thoughts on the suspension and advice. I need to make pull out the oversteer and get it a little more neutral. Any tips? Where can I get the Raggazon, any internet suppliers?

I got my exhaust from these guys.
http://www.gazzella.cc/cart.php

I have heard the odd bad report about orders taking a while but I had no problem with them.

I am not quite sure what you want in terms of handling.
I found that polybushing the rear suspension combined with a proper 4 wheel alignment made a big difference to the handling, fitting Bilstien sport shocks with standard springs improved things even further. It had a slightly harsher low speed ride but was more precise, had less roll, better turn in, more grip(in the dry) and far less bounce/wallow.
I let Alfachick have a go of mine before I sold it and she was amazed at the improvement over the standard car.

[Chris Type R]

Pat H said:

I have an unsilenced stainless Raggazon centre pipe, with a stainless Supersprint back box on my GTV.

It sounds fantastic, but is probably a touch too noisy for most people.

Those pictures are tempting ....

Any idea what noise levels are like with just the Raggazon unsilenced centre, and the rest stock ?

Any droning ?

[Pat H]

Chris Type R said:

Pat H said:

I have an unsilenced stainless Raggazon centre pipe, with a stainless Supersprint back box on my GTV.

It sounds fantastic, but is probably a touch too noisy for most people.

Those pictures are tempting ....

Any idea what noise levels are like with just the Raggazon unsilenced centre, and the rest stock ?

Any droning ?

You might run into difficulties fitting just the centre pipe.

The rest of the exhaust will probably just fall apart when you start to remove it (mine did).

But apart from that, I have a feeling that the bore of the Raggazon centre pipe is larger at the back, so that you have to fit the Raggazon or Supersprint back box.

Best to check with Gazzella Racing before you buy the centre pipe, because the back boxes are not cheap.

Note that the unsilenced stainless Raggazon centre pipe is exactly the same part as the unsilenced Supersprint centre pipe. I am led to believe that they come from the same manufacturer. The Raggazon item is far cheaper.

I have used Supersprint exhausts a couple of times and have always been impressed with the quality and the ease of fit.

As far as noise is concerned, the standard set up is absurdly quiet and the unsilenced centre pipe with Supersprint back box is probably too loud for most people.

Mine is a bit boomy just above tickover, but once you are on the move it just sounds fantastic. It is quiet on the motorway as all the noise just gets left behind you.

The Supersprint fully silenced system is probably perfect, but much more expensive.

[Chris Type R]

Thanks for the response Pat - it looks like I might have to save up for the silenced version.

[Pooh]

Before I bought my exhaust, I did some research on various forums and the general opinion on the Ragazzon system was that the silenced centre section with the unsilenced rear was quieter and less boomy than the reverse combination. I ended up buying that combination and was very happy with the end result, it sounded great without being annoyingly loud.

[Chris Type R]

Pooh said:

Before I bought my exhaust, I did some research on various forums and the general opinion on the Ragazzon system was that the silenced centre section with the unsilenced rear was quieter and less boomy than the reverse combination. I ended up buying that combination and was very happy with the end result, it sounded great without being annoyingly loud.

Was that a Ragazzon rear section ? I've been checking the piccies on gazzella and the 2 x 70mm outlet unsilenced Ragazzon looks quite tempting.

[Pooh]

Chris Type R said:

Pooh said:

Before I bought my exhaust, I did some research on various forums and the general opinion on the Ragazzon system was that the silenced centre section with the unsilenced rear was quieter and less boomy than the reverse combination. I ended up buying that combination and was very happy with the end result, it sounded great without being annoyingly loud.

Was that a Ragazzon rear section ? I've been checking the piccies on gazzella and the 2 x 70mm outlet unsilenced Ragazzon looks quite tempting.

I had this centre section

and this rear section


Both Ragazzon

[THE BIG DOG]

Or try this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWywZQHvSlA
De cat with just a tiny centre box and 4 straight outlets on the rear! Love thy neighbour!

[KANEIT]

THREAD HIJACK!

I have been considering for a long time which Alfa I should get next. I think I'm set on a V6 engined car but which one? A GTV is one I am considering, but I would like to take it on the track.
SO the question is what mods can be done without ruining the car? I do want it primarily as a road car so don't want to go too far with any aerodynamic bolt-ons and styling thingys!
As mentioned on here, exhausts and bushes are a start, as are LSDs, anything else? I hear the standard leather seats are a bit lacking in support when cornering. Are there any practical alternatives, retrimmed CUP seats perhaps?